UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA 

COLLEGE   OF   AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT   STATION 

BERKELEY,    CALIFORNIA 


BERSEEM  OR  EGYPTIAN  CLOVER 

(Trifolium  alexandrinum) 

A  PRELIMINARY  REPORT 
P.  B.  KENNEDY  AND  W.  W.  MACKIE 


BULLETIN  389 

June,  1925 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PRINTING  OFFICE 

BERKELEY,  CALIFORNIA 

1925 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  California,  Davis  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/berseemoregyptia389kenn 


BERSEEM  OR  EGYPTIAN  CLOVER 

By  P.  B.  KENNEDY  and  W.  W.  MACKIE 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The  Avriters  desire  to  express  their  appreciation  to  Mr.  L.  G.  Goar, 
formerly  Superintendent  of  the  Imperial  Valley  Experiment  Station 
at  Meloland,  near  El  Centro,  for  his  interest  in  conducting  the  field 
trials  with  berseem,  to  Mr.  E.  L.  Garthwaite,  Farm  Advisor,  Imperial 
County,  to  Mr.  E.  G.  Noble,  Superintendent  of  the  Yuma  Reclamation 
Project  Experiment  Farm  at  Bard,  Imperial  County,  California,  to 
cooperating  farmers  in  the  district  and  to  others  referred  to  in  the  text. 


INTRODUCTION* 

The  purpose  of  this  bulletin  is  to  add  to  the  series  of  publications t 
already  issued  by  the  College  of  Agriculture  dealing  with  leguminous 
crops  for  human  food,  for  forage  and  for  use  in  maintaining  the 
fertility  of  the  soils  of  California. 

Berseem  or  Egyptian  Clover,  Trifolium  alexandrinum  L.,  promises 
to  be  a  valuable  leguminous  crop  for  winter  growing  under  irrigation 
in  regions  with  a  climate  similar  to  that  of  the  Imperial  Valley  of 
California.  It  is  not  expected  that  it  will  compete  with  alfalfa  as  the 
basic  forage  crop  but  rather  as  a  supplementary  crop  for  certain  soils 
and  conditions  for  which  alfalfa  is  unsuited,  or  as  a  rapid  growing 
short  rotation  crop  in  association  with  sorghum,  cotton  or  truck  crops. 
Berseem  will  grow  in  winter  when  alfalfa  is  dormant,  so  that  it  should 
prove  valuable  to  the  dairyman  in  producing  a  succulent  feed  for  soil- 
ing or  pasturage.  As  it  is  an  annual  plant  of  extraordinarily  rapid 
growth,  with  succulent  stems,  abundant  leaves  and  readily  decom- 
posable roots,  it  lends  itself  admirably  for  use  on  high-priced  lands 
that  must  produce  a  maximum  seasonal  production  without  losing 
their  fertility. 

Berseem  occupies  an  important  role  in  the  agriculture  of  Egypt 
where  it  is  the  foundation  of  the  dairy  and  beef  stock  industry.  With- 
out the  use  of  berseem  or  some  leguminous  crop  the  high  yields  and 


*  Eeference  by  number  is  to  literature  cited,  page  31. 

t  Other  publications  are:  Bulletins  124,  224,  238,  270,  280,  292,  294,  309,  374, 
and  Circulars  87,  93,  110,  124,  136,  189,  255,  257,  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station,  Berkeley,  California. 


4  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 

excellent  quality  of  cotton  could  not  have  been  maintained.  Fairchild7 
gives  an  excellent  account  of  berseem  as  it  occurs  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Nile  where  it  is  considered  indispensable  as  a  half-year  rotation  crop 
with  cotton.  The  Nile  silt,  contrary  to  general  belief,  is  not  naturally 
a  fertile  soil  and  were  it  not  for  the  foresight  of  the  Egyptian  farmer 
in  utilizing  leguminous  crops  extensively,  the  soil  would  lose  its  crop 
producing  power  (fig.  1).  For  centuries  it  has  been  necessary  to  use 
the  manure,  dried  into  cakes,  as  fuel,  so  that  without  the  use  of  legumes 
the  great  money  making  crop  of  Egypt,  cotton,  could  not  have  been 
maintained. 


(Courtesy   of   U.S.D.A.) 
Fig.  1. — Berseem  in  full  flower.     Bordein,  Egypt. 

The  fact  that  berseem  is  tolerant  of  moderate  quantities  of  white 
alkali  makes  it  an  important  plant  in  all  irrigated  sections  where  it 
can  be  grown.  We  doubt  whether  there  is  any  other  annual  forage 
plant  in  the  world  which  can  be  cut  four  or  five  times  in  a  season  and 
produce  at  each  cutting  as  large  an  amount  of  forage.  In  Egypt  under 
optimum  conditions,  four  or  five  cuttings  are  obtained,  averaging  more 
than  seven  tons  of  green  forage  to  the  acre  for  each  cutting  (figs.  2 
and  3).  The  fifth  crop  is  usually  left  to  produce  seed  with  a  yield 
of  about  360  pounds  to  the  acre. 

Aaronsohn1,  referring  to  the  use  of  berseem  in  Palestine,  states 
that  it  is  sown  with  barley  in  the  autumn  along  the  coast  where  the 
rainfall  is  as  low  as  14  to  16  inches.  It  is  grown  without  irrigation  and 
gives  two  cuttings  in  the  spring.  In  very  rainy  seasons  it  yields  three 
cuttings. 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM  OR  EGYPTIAN  CLOVER 


Berseem  was  introduced  into  Italy  in  1907  and  is  recommended  for 
the  more  southern  arid  parts  not  subject  to  frost.  De  Cillis6  states 
that  it  always  gives  good  results  when  it  escapes  the  winter  frosts. 
His  experiments  showed  that  the  best  time  of  seeding  in  Sicily  was 


i     13 


/  H 


(Courtesy  of   U.S.D.A.) 
Fig.  2. — Camels  hauling  berseem  to  market.     Egypt. 


(Courtesy   of   U.S.D.A.) 
Fig.  3. — Hauling  berseem  hay  {drees).    Bordein,  Egypt. 

towards  the  end  of  October.  From  three  to  six  cuttings  are  obtained 
according  to  the  length  and  severity  of  the  midwinter  resting  period. 
Fertilizer  experiments  indicated  that  phosphates  gave  the  best  results, 
with  potash  next  and  nitrogen  least.     Gypsum  had  little  effect  on  the 


b  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

yield.  The  average  yield  for  the  season  is  400  quintals  of  green  forage 
to  the  hectare  (approximately  18  tons  to  the  acre)  and  in  addition 
264  pounds  of  seed  to  the  acre. 

Sornay21  reports  the  following  from  experiments  by  Trabut : 

"At  the  trial  station  of  the  Algerian  Botanical  Department,  Alexandrian 
Clover  (her seem)  has  given  four  crops  in  a  year.  When  sown  at  the  end  of 
July  the  yield  per  hectare  by  the  middle  of  September  was  28,000  kilos,  in  the 
middle  of  November,  20,000,  shortly  after  the  middle  of  February,  30,000,  and 
at  the  end  of  May,  25,000."  (A  total  of  about  45  tons  of  green  forage  per 
acre.) 

In  Australia4  it  has  been  called  the  "Winter  Lucerne"  because  it 
amply  fills  in  the  period  when  alfalfa  is  dormant.  It  succeeds  well 
in  those  parts  of  the  commonwealth  having  fairly'  mild  winters  and 
in  the  colder  sections  provided  it  is  sown  early  enough  to  get  well 
established  and  make  a  good  growth  before  the  winter  sets  in.  It  has 
given  especially  good  results  in  the  northern  irrigated  areas  of 
Victoria.  Results  of  nine  years'  experiments  at  Eoseworthy  Agri- 
cultural College  show  that  the  average  total  yield  to  the  acre  was  over 
29  tons  of  green  forage.  Six  cuttings  are  regarded  as  not  exceptional 
and  one  farmer  reports  nine  cuttings  from  heavily  manured  land. 
This  was  on  a  poultry  farm  where  it  was  used  as  green  feed  at  a  period 
of  the  year  when  eggs  were  at  a  premium.  He  attributes  his  success 
with  berseem  to  the  heavy  dressings  of  chicken  manure  that  were 
readily  available. 

Mixtures  of  berseem  with  barley,  oats  or  rye  grass  have  also  been 
found  useful. 

All  experimenters  and  growers  agree  that  the  secret  of  success 
with  this  crop  is  to  have  the  seed  in  early.  It  is  recommended  for 
grazing,  soiling,  hay,  as  a  green  manure  and  as  an  excellent  plant  for 
cleaning  land  and  smothering  weeds. 

Berseem  has  been  known  to  experimenters  in  California  from  the 
results  of  small  trial  plots  for  a  long  time.  The  first  record  we  have  is 
in  1896.  It  is  only  recently,  however,  that  it  has  given  promise  as  a 
field  crop.  This  bulletin  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  report  of  the  results  of 
experiments  with  berseem  in  California  from  which  the  reader  must 
determine  whether  or  not  the  crop  is  suitable  to  his  conditions.  Much 
field  work  remains  to  be  done  before  definite  recommendations  can  be 
made  in  regard  to  its  place  in  a  rotation  with  our  established  com- 
mercial crops. 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER 


OEIGIN 


Berseem,  like  a  number  of  our  cultivated  plants,  such  as  the  horse  bean 
(Yicia  fdba),  maize  {Zea  mays),  is  a  plant  the  original  wild  forms  of  which 
seem  to  have  become  extinct.  DeCandolle5  makes  the  following  statement  in 
regard  to  the  origin  of  Tri folium  alexandrinum  L. 

' '  This  species  is  extensively  cultivated  in  Egypt  as  fodder.  Its  Arab  name  is 
bersym  or  berzun.  There  is  nothing  to  show  that  it  has  been  long  in  use,  the 
name  does  not  occur  in  Hebrew  and  Armenian  botanical  works.  The  species  is 
not  wild  in  Egypt,  but  it  is  certainly  wild  in  Syria  and  Asia  Minor." 
He  refers  to  Boissiers  as  authority  for  the  last  statement.  Here  we  find  a 
number  of  localities  cited  from  fields  or  in  the  vicinity  of  towns  so  that  it  is 
doubtful  if  these  plants  could  be  regarded  as  being  indigenous.  Muschleris 
states  that  it  is  only  known  from  Egypt  and  Cyrenaica  that  the  true  home  is 
uncertain  and  adds  that  it  is  cultivated  everywhere  in  Egypt  where  it  is  also 
subspontaneous. 

Aaronsohn1  is  responsible  for  the  statement  that  berseem  grows  wild  in 
Palestine,  but  does  not  indicate  whether  he  means  indigenous  or  escaped  from 
cultivation.  Fairchild7  who  gives  an  excellent  account  of  berseem  in  all  its 
phases  gives  Schweinfurth  as  authority  for  the  statement  "that  no  picture, 
bas  relief,  name  or  authentic  seeds  of  berseem  had  ever  been  discovered  in  any 
of  the  tombs  of  Egypt."  He  states  that  "the  plant  has  nowhere  been  dis- 
covered wild,  but  a  Byzantine  variety  {Tri folium  alexandrinum  var.  plileoides 
Boiss.)  exists  at  Kilsali,  near  Smyrna,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  plant  was 
introduced  into  Egypt  about  the  sixth  century."  On  page _  13  in  a  footnote 
we  find  the  following:  "Boissier  gives  Trifolium  alexandrinum  var.  phleoides 
Boiss.  as  a  variety  occurring  in  Kilsali  near  Smyrna,  but  says  nothing  as  to 
whether  it  is  in  cultivation  or  not."  We  find  in  Boissier  "Flora  Orientalis" 
2-127,  under  habitat  of  this  variety,  "in  cultis  insulae  Kilsali  sinus  Smyrnei" 
which  we  take  to  mean  under  cultivation.  The  researches  of  Gilbelli  and 
Belli9  regard  this  as  a  subspecies  of  T.  echinatum  so  that  it  is  unlikely  that  this 
variety  could  be  regarded  as  the  progenitor  of  our  cultivated  berseem. 

From  our  knowledge  of  how  localized  certain  species  of  American  clovers 
are,  we  can  readily  understand  how  the  indigenous  form  of  the  cultivated 
berseem  may  have  become  extinct  especially  in  a  region  so  intensively  culti- 
vated as  that  bordering  the  Mediterranean.  It  seems  reasonable  to  believe 
that  if  berseem  were  in  common  cultivation  by  the  ancient  Egyptians  that  it 
would  have  been  represented  in  some  of  their  tombs  or  monuments. 

General  Description  of  the  Plant 

Berseem,  Trifolium  alexandrinum  L.  is  one  of  the  true  clovers 
belonging  to  the  genus  Trifolium  which  comprises  about  300  species 
distributed  throughout  the  temperate  and  subtropical  regions  of 
both  the  Old  and  the  New  World,  a  few  being  represented  in  tropical 
Africa.  Taking  into  consideration  the  large  number  of  species  in  the 
genus  and  its  economic  importance  it  is  surprising  that  only  a  com- 
paratively small  number,  about  twelve,  have  been  introduced  into 
cultivation.  The  most  commonly  known  species  in  cultivation  are  red 
clover,  Trifolium  pratense;  Alsike  Clover,  T.  hybridum;  white  Dutch 
clover,  T.  repens;  and  crimson  clover,  T.  incarnatum. 

Trifolium  alexandrinum  L.,  Berseem  or  Egyptian  Clover,  is  an 
annual  plant  somewhat  resembling  red  clover  in  its  habit  of  growth, 
but  with  yellowish-white  instead  of  red  flowering  heads.     The  stems 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Fig.  4. — Berseem  nodules.     Shawver  Kanch,  Holtville, 
Imperial  Valley,  California. 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM  OR  EGYPTIAN  CLOVER 


% 


A 


f&* 


&*. 


*~*\ 


i*<4. 


H^ 


t 


% 


j 


4 


■ 

f 

,4 


(Natural    Size) 

Fig.   5. — Berseem  nodules.     Shawver  Eanch,  Holtville, 
Imperial  Valley,  California. 


10  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 

are  hollow  and  very  succulent.  The  roots  (see  fig.  4)  do  not  extend 
far  into  the  soil  like  those  of  alfalfa,  but  remain  generally  in  the  first 
two  feet.  When  first  grown  in  a  new  region  nodules  are  not  always 
found  on  the  roots,  but  after  one  or  more  years  they  become  exceedingly 
abundant  (see  fig.  5).  The  plant  makes  a  dense,  rank  growth  of  from 
two  to  three  feet,  the  number  of  stems  increasing  from  the  lower  axils 
after  each  cutting.  Frequent  cutting  of  the  crop  prevents  the  growth 
of  winter  weeds. 

The  leaves  are  large,  numerous,  slightly  hairy,  tender  and  suc- 
culent, so  that  it  is  extremely  palatable  to  stock.  This  succulent  feature 
makes  it  necessary  to  exercise  care  when  making  it  into  hay  in  order 
to  avoid  discoloration  and  spoiling.  Each  leaf  consists  of  three  ellip- 
tical leaflets  arranged  in  the  trifoliate  manner  common  to  most  clovers. 
These  vary  from  one-half  an  inch  to  two  inches  in  length,  according  to 
the  amount  of  moisture  or  other  conditions  available  for  the  growth  of 
the  plant. 

Numerous  yellowish-white  flowers  form  an  elliptical  dense  head 
which  may  vary  in  length  from  one-half  an  inch  to  one  and  one-half 
inches  (see  fig.  6).  Each  floret  in  the  head  consists  of  a  five-lobed 
calyx  and  a  corolla  consisting  of  a  standard,  two  wings,  and  the  keel ; 
the  typical  flower  of  most  members  of  the  legume  family.  At  maturity 
each  floret  may  form  a  box  capsule  containing  a  single  seed.  The  seed 
is  a  little  smaller  than  that  of  red  clover  and  about  the  same  size  and 
shape  as  that  of  crimson  clover.  It  is  egg-shaped,  reddish  brown,  and 
about  one-twelfth  of  an  inch  long  (2  mm.)   (see  fig.  7). 

KELATIONSHIP 

Gibelli  and  Belli9  place  Trifolium  alexandrinum  L.  in  the  section  Lagopus 
Koch  and  the  group  Maritima  Nob.  In  this  section  are  to  be  found:  Our  well 
known  cultivated  clovers,  Trifolium  pratense  L.  and  T.  incarnatum  L.;  the 
rabbit 's-foot  clover,  T.  arvense,  is  abundantly  introduced  and  widely  distributed 
as  a  weed  in  the  eastern  United  States;  Hungarian  Clover,  T.  pannonicum 
Jacq.,  a  deep-rooted  long-lived  perennial  cultivated  in  Europe,  known  for  a 
long  time  in  the  United  States  through  experimental  plantings,  has  never 
attained  commercial  status.  Twelve  species  (12)  indigenous  to  California 
belong  to  this  section.  A  number  of  these  are  sufficiently  abundant  in  many 
of  the  coast  and  interior  valley  pastures  to  be  considered  as  an  important  source 
of  feed.  They  are  all  annuals,  the  more  important  being  T.  dichotomum 
H.  and  A.,  T.  neolaqopus  Loja,  T.  albopurpureum  T.  and  G.,  T.  Macraei  H.  and  A. 
Another  species,  T.  amoenum  Greene,  very  limited  and  local  in  its  distribution 
is  the  largest  and  handsomest  of  the  indigenous  species  of  this  group.  It  has 
distinct  promise  as  an  ornamental  and  is  possibly  also  worthy  of  introduction 
as  supplementary  forage  on  the  ranges.  Mediterranean  species  closely  related 
to  T.  alexandrinum  L.  in  the  group  Maritima  Nob.  are  T.  maritinum  Huds., 
T.  echinatum  M.  B.,  T.  dipsaceum  Thuill.,  and  T.  olscurum  Savi. 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER 


11 


BOTANICAL  DESCRIPTION 
Trifolium  alexandrinum  L. 

Plant  annual,  1  to  3  feet,  roots  of  medium  size,  long  tapering,  branched, 
fibrous,  single  or  in  clusters.  Stems  decumbent,  ascending,  sometimes  with 
prominent  transverse  rings,  diffuse,  fistulous,  glabrous  at  base,  increasingly- 
pilose  above:  leaves  trifoliate,  petiolate,  petioles  of  the  lowermost  leaves  very- 
long,  becoming  gradually  shorter  above,  pubescent;  pseudo-opposite  above: 
lower  stipules  oblong-ovate,  upper  oblong-lanceolate,  ventricose,  membranous- 
scarious,    sheathed,    terminating    in    linear-lanceolate    ciliate-margined    lobes: 


(Prom  Bull.  23,  Bur.    PI.  Ind.,  U.S.D.A.) 
Fig.  6. — Berseem  at  time  of  blossoming. 


12 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Fig.  7. — Berseem  natural  size  (above)  and  X  7  (below). 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER  13 

leaflets  oblong-lanceolate  to  oblong-  elliptical,  pubescent  on  both  sides,  truncate, 
rounded,  emarginate  mucronulate  at  the  apex,  margins  denticulate  on  the  upper 
half:  inflorescence  of  dense  heads  terminating  the  stems  and  branches:  peduncles 
short  in  anthesis,  elongating  in  fruit,  pubescent:  heads  pseudo-terminal,  at  first 
ovate-conical,  later  elliptical-conical:  florets  numerous,  calyx-tube  3  mm.  long, 
obconical,  prominently  10-nerved,  pilose,  with  a  distinct  ring  of  hairs  but  no 
callus  at  the  throat,  calyx-teeth  five,  triangular-subulate,  about  3  mm.  long, 
ciliate,  the  two  superior  slightly  connate  and  almost  equal  to  the  lateral,  the 
inferior  tooth  slightly  exceeding  the  others:  corolla  ochroleucous,  at  least  twice 
the  length  of  the  calyx,  vexillum  infundibuliform,  with  spreading  limb,  wings 
oblong  semi-obovate,  with  numerous  slender  veins,  auriculate  at  base,  Tceel 
convex  obtuse  at  apex,  slightly  lobed  at  base,  longer  than  the  inferior  tooth: 
anthers  ovate-apiculate:  ovary  sessile,  obconical,  one  ovuled,  style  very  long, 
slightly  enlarged  toward  the  middle,  stigma  cristate,  fruit  formed  by  the 
enlarged  calyx  at  maturity,  with  the  nerves  of  campanulate  tube  prominent, 
the  throat  entirely  closed  by  the  operculum  of  the  membranous  legume.  Legume 
one-seeded,  rarely  two-seeded,  the  upper  third  consisting  of  an  operculum  firmer 
in  texture  than  the  lower  two-thirds  which  is  very  thin  and  fragile:  seeds  sub- 
orbicular  to  ob-ovoid,  2  mm.  long,  seed  coat  at  first  dull,  becoming  shiny  on 
exposure,  glabrous,  yellow,  tinged  with  brown  in  the  region  of  the  hilum  and 
chalaza,  position  of  the  radicle  evident  by  a  slight  elevation  of  the  seed  coat, 
hilum  orbicular,  funiculus  at  lower  third  of  legume. 

T.  alexandrinum  var.  tuberculatum  Nob. 

This  variety  has  been  regarded  by  Boissier  as  a  variety  of  T.  supinum  Savi 
(T.  echinatum  M.  B.)  but  Gibelli  and  Belli  state  that  they  have  examined  the 
specimen  of  T.  supinum  var.  tuberculatum  Boiss.  in  the  Boissier  herbarium  and 
find  that  the  structure  of  the  calyx  does  not  agree  at  all  with  that  species  and 
that  it  certainly  belongs  to  T.  alexandrinum,  differing  from  it  only  by  having  the 
hairs  of  the  calyx  with  large  tubercles  at  the  base  and  the  throat  of  the  calyx 
tube  a  little  more  enlarged. 

T.  alexandrinum  var.  phleoides  Boiss. 

Gibelli  and  Belli  were  able  to  study  specimens  of  this  variety  in  the  Boissier 
herbarium.  They  conclude  that  it  does  not  belong  to  T.  alexandrinum  but  regard 
it  as  a  subspecies  of  T.  echinatum.  They  base  their  conclusion  on  differences  in 
the  head,  lobes  of  the  stipules,  length  of  the  calyx-tube  and  teeth,  and  the 
flowers  coming  off  readily  from  the  axis,  but  particularly  in  the  large  callus  at 
the  throat  of  the  tube,  leaving  a  very  narrow  fissure  which  does  not  occur  in 
T.  alexandrinum. 


Varieties* 

There  are  four  distinct  agricultural  varieties  of  berseem  grown  in 
various  localities  and  differing  in  rapidity  of  growth,  number  of 
cuttings  per  season,  height  of  plant  and  amount  and  method  of 
irrigation  required.  They  are  Miskawi,  Khadrawi,  Saidi  and  Fahl 
(see  fig.  8). 

Miskawi  (Muscowi  U.S.D.A.)  is  the  variety  most  commonly  grown 
in  Egypt  and  forms  the  basis  for  the  field  experiments  recorded  in  this 
bulletin.  It  is  preferred  in  the  delta  region  of  lower  Egypt  where  there 
is  an  abundance  of  water  for  winter  irrigation  but  none  in  summer. 
It  is  a  rank  grower  sometimes  attaining  a  height  of  five  feet.     From 


*  The  writers  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Y.  Milad,  a  graduate  student  from  Egypt 
for  the  exact  English  translation  of  the  names  of  these  varieties  from  the 
Arabic. 


14 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


4  to  8  cuttings  are  made  according  to  the  amount  of  water  used  and 
the  height  of  the  crop  when  cut.  It  must  be  irrigated  twice  after  each 
cutting.  In  Egypt  the  time  of  seeding  is  from  the  first  of  September 
to  the  middle  of  January.  It  does  not  do  well  with  intense  heat  so  that 
late  sowings  result  in  lessening  the  number  of  cuttings  that  may  be 
made  owing  to  injury  from  summer  weather.  When  planted  early 
and  with  a  favorable  season,  the  first  cutting  may  be  made  in  fifty 
days,  if  less  favorable  it  may  take  seventy  days.  Normally  the  fifth 
cutting  is  for  the  production  of  seed.  The  average  yield  of  seed  in 
Egypt  is  360  pounds  to  the  acre. 


Fig.  8. — Comparative  trials  of  berseem  varieties  at  Imperial  Valley 
Experiment  Station. 

1.  Saidi — low  spreading  growth,  in  blossom. 

2.  Fahl — erect  growth  in  blossom. 

3.  Misgawi — heavy  succulent  growth,  not  in  blossom. 


Khadrawi  (Kadrawi  U.S.D.A.)  resembles  Misgawi  in  habit  of 
growth  but  requires  more  water.  It  is  said  to  have  a  longer  vegetative 
period  and  heavier  yield.    We  have  not  as  yet  grown  it  in  California. 

Saidi  (Saida  U.S.D.A.)  is  characterized  by  having  a  long  root 
system  which  enables  it  to  withstand  drought.  It  is  somewhat  inter- 
mediate in  growth  between  Misgawi  and  Fahl.  J.  A.  Prescott  of  the 
Societe  Sultanienne  D 'Agriculture  of  Cairo  writes  in  a  letter  dated 
December  17,  1922,  that  this  variety  is  the  berseem  of  upper  Egypt, 
grown  on  the  basin  lands  and  sown  in  the  mud  after  the  Nile  flood. 
It  gives  several  cuttings  (two  to  three)  without  further  irrigation, 
and  makes  an  excellent  quality  of  hay.  As  it  has  a  tendency  to  grow 
decumbent  rather  than  erect,  the  custom  of  sowing  it  with  the  variety 
Fahl  to  hold  it  up  has  become  established. 

Fahl  (Fachl  U.S.D.A.)  is  used  where  water  is  not  available  after 
sowing  and  where  the  land  is  to  be  used  immediately  after  cutting  the 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER  15 

crop.  The  land  is  overflowed  by  the  Nile  during  the  autumn  months 
and  when  the  water  subsides  a  layer  of  mud  is  deposited.  The  seed  is 
sown  in  the  mud.  No  further  irrigation  is  given  and  only  one  cutting 
of  9  tons  of  green  fodder  is  obtained. 

We  have  obtained  small  quantities  of  the  seed  of  these  varieties 
from  Egypt  and  have  grown  them  in  rod  rows  adjacent  to  one  another 
for  comparative  trials.  Although  marked  differences  have  been  noticed 
in  the  character  of  growth,  the  main  object  at  this  time  has  been  to 
obtain  sufficient  seed  for  plot  trials.  Excellent  seed  has  been  produced 
from  the  rod  rows  at  the  Imperial  Valley  Station  so  that  we  will  soon 
be  in  a  position  to  determine  in  what  manner  any  of  the  varieties  other 
than  the  Misgawi  may  be  utilized. 

Another. variety  which  has  just  been  brought  to  our  attention  by 
Professor  Amram  Khazanoff  of  the  Palestine  Jewish  Colonization 
Association  at  Haifa,  Palestine,  is  called  Baali,  or  dry-land  berseem. 
It  is  said  to  do  better  without  irrigation  than  the  Misgawi. 

CLIMATE  OF  THE  IMPEEIAL  VALLEY 

The  climate  most  suitable  to  the  growing  of  berseem  may  be  determined  in 
general  by  a  consideration  of  the  climate  of  Egypt  where  berseem  reaches  its 
greatest  perfection. 

Official  climatic  records  from  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
Weather  Bureau  for  the  Imperial  Valley  and  from  the  Egyptian  Ministry  of 
Agriculture  for  Helwan  near  Cairo,  are  given  in  Table  1. 

Earn  is  not  a  factor  in  crop  production  in  either  Egypt  or  Imperial  Valley 
for  less  than  2%  inches  fall  annually  in  the  Imperial  and  only  one-third  of  this 
quantity  at  Cairo,  Egypt,  but  over  8  inches  at  Alexandria  on  the  Mediterranean. 
The  relative  humidity  at  Cairo  is  considerably  greater  than  in  the  Imperial 
Valley  on  account,  no  doubt,  of  the  proximity  to  the  Mediterranean. 

Temperature  appears  to  be  the  limiting  factor  in  the  production  of  berseem 
and  before  successful  experiments  were  conducted  in  the  Imperial  Valley, 
authorities  believed  the  climate  to  be  too  cold  for  successful  berseem  culture. 
The  growing  season  for  berseem  extends  from  September  to  May,  inclusive. 
The  Imperial  Valley  is  warmer  than  Egypt  during  September  and  again  during 
March,  April  and  May,  but  during  the  months  of  October  to  February,  inclusive, 
the  climate  of  Egypt  is  warmer.  The  Mediterranean  moderates  the  extremes 
of  temperature  and  humidity  for  Egypt  much  more  than  the  Gulf  of  California 
does  for  the  Imperial  Valley. 

As  light  frosts  commonly  occur  during  the  winter  in  both  places  (23  p.  24), 
they  are  not  considered  a  factor  in  berseem  production.  A  lowering  of  the  tem- 
perature which  causes  a  severe  freeze  is  considered  to  seriously  affect  berseem. 
The  absolute  minimum  for  the  Imperial  Valley  at  the  critical  period  in  mid- 
winter falls  far  below  that  of  Egypt.  The  first  crop  of  berseem  grown  at  the 
Imperial  Valley  Experiment  Station  (1921-22)  experienced  an  unusually  cold 
winter  when  the  thermometer  reached  17  degrees  F.  All  berseem  plants 
were  frozen  to  the  ground  (January  20,  1922)  but  all  except  those  growing 
upon  the  ridges  revived  and  by  March  5  were  24  to  30  inches  in  height.  Two 
crops  of  hay  and  a  heavy  crop  of  seed  followed. 

In  late  December,  1924,  the  thermometer  registered  16  degrees  F.  but  none 
of  the  berseem  plants  were  killed  although  all  were  cut  back  to  the  ground  by 


16 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 


TABLE  1 

Normal  Monthly,  Seasonal  and  Annual  Temperature  and  Precipitation  at 
Brawley,  Imperial  Valley,  California,  and  Cairo,  Egypt 
(Kecords  taken  at  Helwan  Weather  Observatory  near  Cairo) 


Brawley,  California 

(Field  Operations,  Bureau  of  Soils,  1920. 

Brawley  Area,  Calif.,  p.  647) 

Helwan,  Egypt  (near  Cairo), 
1914 

Temperature 
°F. 

Precipitation, 
inches 

>> 
1 

> 

Temperat 
°F. 

ure 

3 

>> 

<D 

M 

o3 

O     > 

"3.S 

£2 

Month 

a 

a 

a 

O   3 

< 

'S 

s 

.SS 

< 

8 

3 

u 
o  u 

a  >> 

II 

3.3 

i 

a 

Is 

•.ss 
<1 

i 

"a 
1 

Is 

< 

>> 

'•3 
1 

^  .a 

>  6 

■1  8 

52. 

52.8 

55.8 

85 
85 
85 

20 
21 
28 

0.40 
0.56 
0.34 

0.10 
.00 
.00 

Tr. 

0.90 
2.02 

30 
44 
42 

57 
56 
57 

68 
84 
89 

42 
39 
40 

.36 
Tr. 
.11 

71  1 

66  4 

60.4 

Winter 

53.5 

85 

20 

1.30 

.10 

2.92 

39 

57 

85 

39 

.47 

65.9 

62.2 
69.1 
73.4 

96 
106 
118 

29 
38 
41 

.29 
.04 
.06 

.75 
Tr. 
.45 

.00 
.00 
.15 

47 
55 
37 

60 
70 
66 

102 
100 
101 

49 
55 
58 

Tr. 
.24 
Tr. 

58.0 

52.0 

50.1 

68.2 

118 

29 

.39 

1.20 

.15 

45 

65 

102 

%9 

.24 

53.3 

84.2 
89.6 
89.2 

118 
115 
115 

51 
57 
60 

.02 
.11 

.27 

.25 
Tr. 
Tr. 

.00 
.00 
.28 

35 
33 
38 

78 
81 
80 

109 
103 
100 

65 
66 
64 

0 
0 
0 

50.9 

July 

51  8 

57.5 

87.7 

118 

51 

.40 

.25 

.28 

35 

80 

109 

64 

0 

53.4 

83.0 
71.2 
60.8 

111 

107 
93 

51 
40 
26 

.14 
.09 
.15 

.00 
Tr. 
Tr. 

.70 
.12 
.00 

37 
34 
43 

79 
74 
64 

100 
80 
79 

58 
49 
41 

0 

0 

.10 

65. 

October 

68.5 

69.5 

Fall 

71.7 

111 

26 

.38 

Tr. 

.82 

38 

72 

100 

41 

.10 

67.7 

Yeab 

70.3 

118 

20 

2.47 

1.55 

4.17 

68 

109 

39 

.84 

the  freeze.  The  Misgawi  variety  appeared  to  be  the  most  resistant  to  cold 
damage.    In  June  a  good  crop  of  excellent  seed  matured. 

Ordinarily  such  severe  cold  is  not  experienced  in  the  Imperial  Valley  the 
mercury  seldom  falling  below  26  degrees  or  27  degrees  F.  The  ability  of 
berseem  to  survive  under  these  extreme  conditions  indicates  that  the  climatic 
conditions  in  the  Imperial  Valley  are  not  an  obstacle  to  its  successful  culture. 
Such  severe  cold  as  that  experienced  in  1921-22  may,  however,  retard  the 
berseem  sufficiently  to  lose  one  cutting.  That  berseem  will  withstand  more  cold 
than  Egyptian  experience  indicates,  is  shown  by  the  records  of  Dr.  Trabut 
Fairchild7  (p.  13)  at  Eouiba,  Algiers,  when  23  degrees  F  was  found  to  cause 
no  damage.  In  southern  Italy  and  Sicily,  berseem  must  withstand  even  lower 
temperatures  than  in  Algiers. 

Early  sown  berseem  resists  frost  much  better  than  late  sown. 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER 


17 


SOILS  OF  THE  IMPEEIAL  VALLEY 

The  soils  of  the  Imperial  Valley  are  described  in  detail  by  Strahorn  et  al22 
and  Kocher  et  al13  in  the  Soil  Survey  Eeports  of  the  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture.  In  these  reports  thirty  distinct  soil  types  are  described  and 
mapped.  The  changes  in  soil  texture  are  frequent  and  large  bodies  of  soil 
uniform  in  surface  and  subsoil,  are  not  usual.  The  soils  may  be  grouped  into 
hard,  medium  and  soft.  This  classification  closely  corresponds  to  the  value  and 
crop  producing  capacity  of  the  soils.  The  soils  of  the  valley  are  modified  con- 
siderably by  the  occurrence  of  stratified  layers  of  sand  or  sandy  soil  in  the 
subsoils.  To  the  west  of  the  Imperial  Valley  lie  areas  of  sand  which  is  blown 
into  the  valley  at  all  times,  forming  dunes  in  places.  As  the  prevailing  winds 
blow  from  this  direction,  additions  of  sand  are  being  constantly  made.  From 
the  Colorado  Eiver  to  the  south,  overflows  in  the  past  have  carried  deposits  of 
silt  and  clay.  These  sediments  have  been  deposited  over  the  sand  causing  much 
stratification  in  the  subsoils.  The  sandy  layers  contribute  to  rise  of  the  water 
table  and  cause  surface  accumulations  of  alkali.  Silt  is  deposited  in  greatest 
quantities  nearest  the  river,  but  the  clay  is  carried  farther  away  from  the  river 
into  quieter  waters  and  covers  the  northern  part  of  the  valley.  The  soils  of 
the  southern  end  are,  therefore,  more  silty  and  softer  than  those  of  the  northern 
end  where  clay  largely  replaces  silt  in  the  river  deposits. 

Experiments  in  the  Imperial  Valley  with  berseem  indicate  that  tight  heavy 
soils  are  not  well  adapted  to  this  crop,  but  the  softer  loamy  and  silty  soils 
produce  good  crops.  At  Bard  in  Imperial  County,  loose  river  sand  deposits 
yielded  poorly.  A  comparison  of  the  texture  of  the  soils  found  producing  good 
berseem  in  Egypt  and  in  the  Imperial  Valley  is  given  in  Table  2. 


TABLE  2 
Texture  of  Soils  Producing  Berseem  in  Egypt  and  in  the  Imperial  Valley 


No. 

Locality 

Description 

o 

a 

a 

Is 

o 

^a 
S3 

5 

2$ 
o>o 

a* 
a 

-do 

10  US 

.So 

> 

oS 
Oia 
i2o' 

SB 

sa 

o^ 

°§ 

JSo 

o 

la 

"d  55 
gpq 

17539 

Abukir  Tract 

Loam  0-12  in 

50 

02 

,08 

16 

23.24 

42  68 

21  00 

12  52 

good 

7544 

Clay  loam  0-12 

89 

14 

.30 

18 

2  32 

4.14 

35  08 

57.44 

good 

7545 

Abukir  Tract 

Clay  loam  12-24 

.69 

.00 

.10      .06 

3.86 

15.90 

30.72 

49.30 

7546 

Abukir  Tract 

Clay  loam  24-30 

1.04 

.00 

.04 

.04 

.92 

5.76 

51.28 

41.64 

7555 

Kom-el-akhder . . 

Clay  loam  0-12 

.45 

1.84 

5.80 

4.20 

21.94 

15.84 

7.48 

42.10 

good 

2575018 

Imperial  Valley. 

Imperial   silty   clay 
loam  (medium). 

0.10 

0.10 

0.00 

1.10 

13.30 

56.80 

28.60 

fair 
growth 

575019 

Imperial  Valley. 

Imperial   silty   clay 
loam  (subsoil). 

0.00 

0.10 

0.10 

.70 

24.90 

47.70 

26.60 

575014 

Imperial  Valley. 

Imperial   silty   clay 
(hard  soil). 

0.10 

0.30 

0.50 

4.30 

14.  CO 

44.10 

36.40 

poor 

575015 

Imperial  Valley. 

Imperial   silty    clay 
(subsoil). 

0.10 

0.70 

0.10 

6.80 

5.70 

50.90 

34.70 

575043 

Imperial  Valley. 

Meloland  fine  sandy 
loam  (soft  soil). 

0.00 

0.20 

0.40 

46.50 

30.70 

12.20 

9.80 

excellent 

575044 

Imperial  Valley. 

Meloland  fine  sandy 
loam  (subsoil). 

0.00 

0.00 

0.10 

17.30 

26.90 

35.00 

20.60 

Means  [(15),  p.  22.] 


2  Strahorn  [(22),  pp.  27,  29,  42.] 


Owing  to  the  greater  quantity  of  organic  matter  and  the  appearance  of  deep 
cracks  in  the  Egyptian  soils,  good  crops  of  berseem  are  produced  on  soil  con- 
taining a  larger  percentage  of  clay  than  in  soils  of  the  Imperial  Valley.  In 
the  Imperial  Valley  those  soils  containing  large  quantities  of  very  fine  sand  or 
silt  produce  the  best  crops  of  berseem.  The  Imperial  Valley  soils  which  produce 
good  crops  of  alfalfa,  are  best  adapted  to  berseem. 


18 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Alkali  Tolerance  of  Berseem 

Foaden8  (p.  49)  states  that  berseem  is  largely  used  in  the  reclama- 
tion of  ' '  salty ' '  lands  in  Egypt  and  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it 
will  grow  in  soils  so  "salty"  that  the  majority  of  ordinary  crops  would 
fail.  Kearney  and  Means11  (p.  581)  state  that  rice  is  first  used  when 
flood  waters  are  applied  to  alkali  land  to  wash  out  excess  salts.  Dineba 
or  barnyard  grass  (Panicum  crus-galli)  a  weed  pest  in  California  rice 
fields,  is  also  used  for  the  summer  crop  in  alkali  reclamation.  These 
summer  crops  are  followed  by  berseem  as  a  winter  crop,  September  to 
November.  Dineba  grass  was  entirely  killed  off  when  the  alkali  content 
varied  from  0.7  to  1.4  per  cent,  but  withstood  0.6  per  cent  without 
indications  of  injury.  This  is  about  the  same  as  for  alfalfa  in  the 
Imperial  Valley.  Berseem  following  rice  or  dineba  as  a  winter  crop 
was  found  to  thrive  in  alkali  up  to  0.6  per  cent.  Kearney  and  Means11 
(p.  581)  believe  berseem  to  be  more  alkali  resistant  than  dineba. 
Alkali,  however,  is  much  less  injurious  to  plants  in  winter  or  cool 
weather.  If  the  land  is  sufficiently  free  from  alkali  to  permit  a  good 
growth  of  rice  or  dineba  it  is  fit  for  berseem.  Berseem  is  usually 
followed  by  a  crop  of  cotton  sown  in  the  spring.  If  the  more  deeply 
rooted  cotton  shows  alkali  injury,  this  process  of  flooding  and  cropping 
is  repeated.  The  composition  of  the  alkali  where  berseem  is  grown  in 
Egypt  is  quite  similar  to  the  alkali  common  to  the  Imperial  Valley,  as 
is  shown  in  Table  3. 

TABLE  3 
Composition  of  Alkali  in  Lower  Egypt15  and  in  Imperial  Valley  California^ 


Recombined  Ions 

Imperial  Valley 
Sec.  35T.  HSR.  14E 

Lower  Egypt 
Kom-el-akhder 

Per  cent 
11.06 
13.58 

3.93 
53.78 

4.89 
12.76 

Per  cent 
10.43 

9.90 

3.62 

60.88 

1.41 

13.76 

Its 

2.70 

8.20 

According  to  these  analyses  a  remarkable  similarity  is  at  once 
apparent.  In  both  Egypt  and  Imperial  Valley  large  quantities  of 
gypsum  (calcium  sulphate)  render  the  occcurrence  of  black  alkali 
(sodium  carbonate)  unlikely,  except  under  unusual  conditions.  Con- 
siderably more  than  half  the  alkali  in  each  analysis  consists  of  common 
salt   (sodium  chloride)  which  is  readily  leached  out. 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER  19 


Kesults  of  Experiments  with  Berseem  in  California 

Early  Experiments. — The  first  record  we  can  find  of  the  growing 
of  berseem  in  California  is  in  1896  when  some  seed  was  received  from 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  by  the  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  at  Berkeley.  The  note  states  that  it  was  not  a 
success  at  Berkeley  and  that  it  was  being  sent  to  the  substations  at 
Tulare  and  Pomona  in  the  hope  of  getting  better  results.  No  accession 
numbers  appear  with  these  records.  Seed  and  Plant  Introduction 
numbers  of  the  U.S.D.A.  4254,  4255  and  4256  show  that  three  varieties 
of  berseem  were  received  through  Messrs.  Lathrop  and  Fairchild  from 
Cairo,  December  28,  1899.  These  were  forwarded  to  the  Experiment 
Station  at  Berkeley  and  sown  at  the  Southern  Coast  Range  Substation 
near  Paso  Robles,  December  21,  1900.  The  results  were  unfavorable 
because  of  spring  frosts  and  cold.  S.P.I.  No.  7031  was  received  from 
the  U.S.D.A.  about  October  23,  1901.  It  was  the  variety  "Muscowi" 
and  the  shipment  consisted  of  two  and  one-half  bushels  of  seed.  S.P.I. 
No.  7657  "Saida";  No.  7658  "  Faehl' '  and  No.  7659  "Muscowi"  were 
received  from  the  U.S.D.A.  on  November  25,  1901.  This  shipment 
enabled  the  Experiment  Station  to  distribute  lots  of  from  1  to  50 
pounds  each  for  trial  at  the  substations,  as  well  as  to  numerous  indi- 
vidual cooperators.  In  addition  a  considerable  number  of  lots  were 
sent  directly  from  Washington,  D.  C.  to  farmers.  In  the  autumn  of 
1904  S.P.I.  Nos.  9874  " Muscowi,"  9875  "Faehl"  and  9876  "Saida" 
were  received  from  the  U.S.D.A.  and  were  distributed  as  follows  on 
September  8,  1904:  Twenty  pounds  of  each  to  Bernard  G.  Johnson, 
U.S.D.A.  date  garden,  at  Mecca;  ten  pounds  of  "Muscowi"  and  five 
pounds  of  "Saida"  and  "Faehl"  to  J.  W.  Mills  to  be  grown  on  the 
"Home  Tract"  of  the  Southern  California  substation  in  Chino  Valley. 
These  experiments  were  conducted  under  the  direction  of  the  late 
Professor  A.  V.  Stubenrauch  in  connection  with  green  manure  studies. 
The  report  from  Johnson  shows  that  the  variety  "Muscowi"  was  the 
most  vigorous  grower,  producing  two  cuttings  18  inches  high  before 
being  plowed  under  on  March  5.  The  crop  was  not  considered  promis- 
ing mainly  on  account  of  the  ground  becoming  white  with  alkali  and 
the  lack  of  water  to  keep  it  down.  Mills  reports  that  he  planted  the 
seed  September  22,  1904  and  obtained  a  good  stand.  It  grew  12  inches 
in  height  by  March  15,  when  it  was  plowed  under.  No  difference  is 
mentioned  between  the  varieties,  except  that  ' '  Muscowi ' '  was  4  inches 
taller. 


20  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 

Twenty  pounds  of  S.P.I.  10373  "Muscowi"  was  received  from  the 
U.S.D.A.  1905  and  distributed  to  five  experimenters.  No  report  is  in 
the  files  as  to  their  success  or  failure. 

The  published  and  unpublished  reports  were  generally  not  favor- 
able but  many  factors  contributed  to  the  poor  results.  Scarcity  of 
water  for  irrigation,  too  late  sowing,  too  cold  winters,  weeds,  alkali, 
severe  frosts,  lack  of  inoculation,  and  a  general  lack  of  knowledge  of 
the  cultural  requirements  of  the  plant. 

With  the  abandonment  of  the  substations  the  earlier  experiments 
with  berseem  were  discontinued.  The  names  prominently  associated 
with  these  preliminary  trials  are  A.  V.  Stubenrauch,  J.  B.  Davy,  C.  H. 
Shinn,  B.  Kellner,  J.  W.  Mills  and  B.  G.  Johnson. 

More  Recent  Experiments. — The  trials  with  berseem  were  con- 
tinued at  the  Government  Trial  Grounds  of  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  at  Chico  with  generally  poor  results  until  1916. 
In  subsequent  years  a  marked  improvement  in  its  growth  was  observed. 
No  satisfactory  explanation  can  be  given  for  this  except  the  accumula- 
tion of  suitable  inoculation  material  in  the  soil. 

The  first  successful  planting  of  berseem  in  California  was  in  the 
autumn  of  1918  when  seed  inoculated  with  soil  from  Chico  was  sown 
in  rod  rows  by  H.  L.  Westover  at  the  Experiment  Station  at  Bard  in 
the  Imperial  Valley  on  land  controlled  by  the  Office  of  Western  Irriga- 
tion Agriculture,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.S.D.A.,  Washington, 
D.  C.  A  heavy  growth  was  obtained  and  seed  saved  by  H.  R.  Reed 
which  resulted  in  a  half-acre  trial  in  1919.  The  crop  continued  to 
improve  in  subsequent  years,  as  inoculation  increased. 

In  September,  1921,  inoculated  seed  was  sent  from  Bard  to  L.  G. 
Goar,  Superintendent,  University  of  California  Branch  Experiment 
Station  at  El  Centro  in  accordance  with  arrangements  made  by 
R.  McKee  with  P.  B.  Kennedy.  Good  results  were  obtained  from  this 
planting.  A  small  commercial  planting  was  arranged  for  near  Bard 
by  E.  S.  Noble,  Superintendent  at  Bard,  and  a  good  crop  of  seed  pro- 
duced in  1922.  The  experiments  are  now  being  conducted  by  the 
writers  in  cooperation  with  the  Experiment  Station  at  Bard  and  the 
County  Agent  of  Imperial  Valley,  E.  L.  Garthwaite. 

Cultural  Methods 

In  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  berseem,  the  land  should  be 
leveled  and  the  seed  bed  smoothed  and  fined  as  for  alfalfa.  The  border 
or  strip  method  of  irrigation  is  preferred.  The  light  textured  soils 
present  no  difficulties  when  the  soil  is  irrigated  to  sprout  the  seed,  but 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER  21 

on  the  heavy  soils  not  so  well  adapted  to  berseem,  the  stand  and  subse- 
quent growth  is  much  improved  by  corrugating  the  surface  in  the 
direction  of  the  flowing  water.  In  this  manner  the  whole  of  the  soil  is 
sub-irrigated  or  saturated  by  capillarity,  avoiding  the  detrimental 
effects  of  flooding.  As  these  corrugations  are  only  4  or  5  inches  high, 
they  offer  no  obstacle  to  the  mower. 

Seeding. — In  Egypt  60  to  80  pounds  of  seed  to  the  acre  is  sown 
broadcast,  usually  in  the  mud.  The  berseem  sown  on  medium  soil  at 
the  Imperial  Valley  Experiment  Station  and  on  farms  on  softer  soils 
in  the  region,  produced  excellent  stands  from  drilling  12  pounds  to  the 
acre.  On  heavy  or  poorly  conditioned  soils,  as  much  as  20  pounds  to 
the  acre  should  be  sown.  Larger  quantities  of  seed  produce  too  thick 
a  stand  which  prevents  tillering  and  spreading  of  the  root  crowns.  In 
the  softer  soils,  the  minimum  quantity  of  12  pounds  to  the  acre  is 
preferred.  The  Imperial  Valley  seed  gave  a  much  higher  germination 
than  the  Egyptian  seed.  Weevil  attacks,  usually  lower  the  viability  of 
the  Egyptian  seed  from  10  to  20  per  cent.  At  present  no  weevils  are 
found  attacking  the  California  grown  seed.  ' '  Blasting, ' '  or  shriveling 
of  the  endosperm  and  germ  wThich  is  common  in  Egyptian  seed  causes 
little  damage  in  Imperial  Valley. 

Berseem  may  be  seeded  in  August  but  October  is  the  preferred  time 
in  Egypt  because  early  sown  berseem  is  usually  destroyed  by  cater- 
pillars. In  the  Imperial  Valley,  experiments  proved  that  late  Septem- 
ber or  early  October  were  preferable  times  of  seeding.  Early  sown 
berseem  becomes  well  established  before  cool  weather  sets  in.  A  crop 
may  be  matured  from  early  sown  berseem  in  50  days  from  seeding 
while  late  sown,  November  to  December,  may  require  70  to  90  days 
to  produce  the  first  crop.  The  frosts  of  midwinter  are  not  so  severe 
on  early  sown  well  grown  plants,  but  young  plants  in  late  seeding  may 
be  killed  by  the  heaviest  frosts.  When  a  crop  of  seed  only  is  desired, 
spring  seeding  in  February  may  be  practiced. 

Irrigation. — Water  is  applied  to  the  berseem  sown  in  dry  ground 
and  the  berseem  "irrigated  up."  If  the  water  carries  its  heaviest  load 
of  silt  as  it  sometimes  does  when  the  Gila  River  is  in  flood,  serious 
smothering  of  very  young  berseem  seedlings  may  result.  Berseem 
requires  almost  the  same  quantity  of  water  as  alfalfa  applied  in  the 
same  manner  and  at  the  same  intervals  of  time.  Too  frequent  irriga- 
tions were  found  to  retard  the  development  of  roots  and  stems.  The 
production  of  plots  similarly  prepared  and  seeded  was  the  same  in  all 
respects,  whether  irrigated  7,  14,  21  or  28  days  apart  until  March  15, 
after  which  two  irrigations  per  crop  period  of  30  days  were  given. 
Softer  soils  require  fewer  irrigations. 


22  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 

Harvesting  and  Yields. — The  best  growth  with  berseem  is  secured 
by  mowing  the  first  crop  when  the  plants  are  about  9  inches  high.  This 
early  clipping  causes  new  shoots  to  start  quickly.  For  early  sown 
berseem  this  cutting  should,  be  made  about  the  first  of  January.  About 
40  or  50  days  later  the  second  crop  may  be  cut.  If  no  seed  is  to  be 
produced  three  more  crops  may  be  harvested  by  June  1st  when  the 
hot  weather  usually  terminates  its  growing  period.  When  seed  is 
desired,  the  fourth  or  last  crop  is  allowed  to  mature.  It  should  be 
ready  to  cut  after  the  first  week  in  June. 


Fig.  9A. — Second  crop  of  berseem  from  seed  sown  October  5,  1923,  on  hard 
soil.     Imperial  Valley  Experiment  Station,  February  19,  1924. 

When  berseem  is  grown  on  soft  soil  under  favorable  conditions,  it 
should  be  cut  every  30  days  after  about  the  first  of  February  at  which 
time  it  should  be  about  24  inches  in  height.  Before  the  crop  is  cut  the 
following  crop  is  already  sending  up  shoots. 

Berseem  contains  more  water  than  alfalfa,  dries  more  slowly  and 
matures  at  the  season  when  the  conditions  for  quick  curing  of  hay  are 
unfavorable.  The  best  results  in  Egypt  and  Imperial  are  obtained 
when  the  berseem  is  hauled  from  the  field  as  soon  as  cut,  and  fed  green 
to  dairy  stock. 

Berseem  hay  is  very  brittle  when  cured  and  is  not  so  attractive  in 
appearance  as  alfalfa  hay.  It  has  not  been  satisfactory  for  sale  in 
the  market  because  of  its  tendency  to  break  and  pulverize  when  baled. 
It  is  however  a  very  excellent  feed  and  preferred  by  all  kinds  of 
stock  to  alfalfa. 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER 


23 


On  the  heavy  infertile  soil  of  the  Imperial  Valley  Experiment 
Station,  berseem  yielded  10  to  12  tons  of  green  fodder  to  the  acre  in 
addition  to  a  crop  of  seed.  Soft  soil  near  El  Centro  produced  in  four 
crops  of  berseem  231/2  tons  of  green  feed  to  the  acre  by  April  16,  after 
which  a  seed  crop  of  792  pounds  to  the  acre  was  harvested  (see  fig.  10). 

In  Egypt  where  berseem  has  long  been  grown  and  its  culture 
thoroughly  understood,  yields  as  high  as  42  tons  to  the  acre  are 
reported,  Fairchild.7  It  seems  reasonable  to  assume  that  as  berseem 
becomes  better  known  and  the  methods  of  handling  the  soil  and  crop 


m  crop  on  soft  soil  (half  grown).     Hoppin  Banch,  near 
El  Centro,  Imperial  Valley,  California. 


improve,  that  yields  approaching  that  of  Egypt  will  be  obtained  in  the 
Imperial  Valley. 

Seed  Production. — Seed  sets  abundantly  and  is  of  good  quality. 
Unlike  alfalfa,  the  most  vigorous  berseem  produces  the  best  and 
heaviest  crops  of  seed. 

The  alfalfa  huller  or  thresher  is  preferred,  but  any  well  regulated 
grain  thresher  will  easily  remove  the  seed  from  the  soft  pods.  The 
straw  from  the  threshing  is  itself  excellent  feed  and  practically  as 
valuable  as  berseem  hay. 

One  field  of  soft  soil  in  the  Imperial  Valley  produced  seed  at  the 
rate  of  792  pounds  to  the  acre,  but  less  than  half  of  this  amount  was 
secured  from  the  heavy  soils  of  the  Experiment  Station. 

Seed  may  be  obtained  commercially  in  Imperial  Valley,  Australia 
and  Egypt. 


24 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 


Feeding  Value  of  Berseem 

All  kinds  of  stock  and  poultry  relish  berseem  and  prefer  it  to 
alfalfa.  In  fields  of  alfalfa  and  berseem  mixed,  cattle  and  horses  select 
the  berseem,  leaving  most  of  the  alfalfa  until  the  berseem  has  been 
grazed  to  the  ground.  As  a  soiling  crop  fed  green  to  dairy  cows,  it 
has  no  equal.  Near  Brawley  a  dairyman  pasturing  his  cows  on  excellent 
alfalfa,  changed  to  berseem  with  the  following  results : 


Fig.  10. — Berseem  on  soft  soil,  21  days  after  cutting.    Hoppin  Kanch, 
El  Centro,  Imperial  Valley,  California. 


TABLE  4 

Effect  of  Berseem  on  Production  of  Butter  Fat  with  Three  Cows  Taken 

from  Alfalfa  Pasture 


Pounds  butter  fat 
per  day- 


Alfalfa  (green),  average  butter  fat  per  day,  Feb.  18-21 

Berseem  (after  feeding  green  2  days),  Feb.  23 

Berseem  (after  feeding  green  6  days),  Feb.  26 

Berseem  (after  feeding  green  7  days),  Feb.  27 

Berseem  (after  feeding  green  8  days),  Feb.  28 


4.29 
4.42 
4.96 
4.72 
4.80 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER 


25 


This  increase  in  butter  fat  per  cow  daily  due  to  replacing  alfalfa 
with  berseem  was  more  than  10  per  cent. 

Chemical  Analyses  of  Berseem  and  Alfalfa. — Berseem  and  alfalfa 
from  the  Imperial  Valley  were  analyzed  and  the  results  included  in 
Table  5. 

TABLE  5 

Chemical  Analysesi  of  Berseem  (Misgawi)  and  Alfalfa 


Berseem 

Alfalfa 

First  cutting 

Second  cutting 

Fresh 
(green) 
calcu- 
lated 
(Fair- 
child, 
p.  16) 

Air 
dry 

Fresh 

Air 
dry 

Water 
free 

Green 

(fresh) 

Air 
dry 

Water 
free 

Water 
free 

% 
81.50 
1.90 

.49 
3.00 
3.71 
9.40 

.76 

% 

9.50 
9.29 
2.39 
14.67 
18.14 
46.01 
3.71 

% 

% 
81.50 
3.17 

.74 
2.80 
3.92 
7.87 

.57 

% 

8.77 
15.63 

3.65 
13  80 
19.34 
38.81 

2.83 

% 

% 
75.00 
3.47 
.32 
2.16 
9.33 
9.72 

% 

11.96 
12.21 
1.13 
7.62 
32  86 
34.22 

% 

Protein 

10.27 
2.65 
16.22 
20.05 
50.81 

17.65 
4.00 
15.15 
21.20 
42.00 

13.87 

Fat 

1.28 

Ash 

8.66 

Crude  fiber 

37.32 

Carbohydrates 

38.87 

Lime  (CaO) 

1  Analyses  of  berseem  by  Harold  Goss,  Division  of  Nutrition,  California  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station. 


Some  striking  differences  at  once  become  apparent  and  serve  perhaps 
to  explain  the  evident  superiority  of  berseem  in  fattening  stock  and 
in  milk  production.  Berseem  is  more  succulent,  for  in  the  fresh 
state  it  contains  more  water  and  little  more  than  half  the  quantity  of 
crude  fiber  found  in  alfalfa.  Considerable  more  than  twice  as  much 
fat  and  appreciably  more  carbohydrate  occur  in  berseem.  The  second 
cutting  of  berseem  contains  more  protein  and  the  first  cutting  less 
protein  than  alfalfa.  The  total  protein  content  is  apparently  about  the 
same  in  both  forages.  Berseem  contains  almost  twice  as  much  ash  as 
alfalfa,  but  the  proportion  of  lime  (CaO)  in  the  ash  is  approximately 
the  same  (20  to  25  per  cent).  For  dairy  cows  which  draw  heavily  upon 
stored  lime  in  their  bodies  during  the  lactation  period  the  presence  of 
such  large  quantities  of  available  lime  is  decidedly  favorable. 

In  Egypt  cattle  are  tethered  in  long  lines  abreast  in  fields  of 
berseem  and  in  this  manner  regularly  harvest  the  crop.  Labor  costs 
would  prohibit  this  method  in  California  unless  the  cows  could  be 
watered  by  wagon  when  milked.  Berseem  does  not  give  the  butter  or 
milk  any  unusual  flavor. 


26  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Bloating 

Bloating  (tympanitis)  from  feeding  berseem  when  covered  with 
dew  is  very  rare  in  Egypt  (Foaden,8  p.  48)  and  Australia  (Brunning,4 
p.  92)  and  not  serious  when  it  does  occur.  In  the  Imperial  Valley  no 
bloating  with  berseem  has  occurred,  although  it  is  reported  for  alfalfa. 

Berseem  in  Crop  Kotations 

Berseem  occupies  annually  more  than  29  per  cent  (Willcocks  and 
Craig,23  p.  770)  of  the  total  tilled  lands  of  Egypt  calculating  the  lands 
cropped  twice  a  year  as  double  acreage.  By  using  berseem  as  a  winter 
crop  in  connection  with  rotations  of  summer  crops  of  cotton,  maize 
and  rice  over  45  per  cent  of  the  agricultural  area  is  double  cropped 
each  year.  The  price  of  cotton  may  at  times  vary  these  proportions  in 
either  direction.  It  is  the  principal  feed  for  all  stock  but  its  main  use 
in  Egyptian  agriculture  lies  in  its  value  as  a  rotation  crop  in  main- 
taining crop  production  in  rotations  with  cotton,  maize  and  grain. 
Cotton  in  particular  depends  upon  berseem  in  the  rotation  for  both 
the  quality  and  quantity  of  fiber  produced. 

In  Egypt,  according  to  Prescott,20  two  general  plans  of  rotation 
are  practiced. 

Plan  A  — 

Berseem  October  to  May 

Maize  {Zed)  July  to  November 

Cotton  March  to  October 

Wheat  November  to  May 

Berseem  October  to  May,  etc. 

This  plan  provides  ample  time  after  the  wheat  harvest  in  May  (as 
in  Imperial)  to  prepare  for  early  seeding  of  berseem.  Sufficient  time 
occurs  after  the  maize  harvest  to  prepare  the  land  for  cotton,  but  less 
time  is  available  for  seeding  wheat  after  cotton. 

Plan  B  — 

Cotton  March  to  October 

Berseem  November  to  May 

Maize  July  to  October 

Wheat  November  to  May 

Maize  July  to  November 

Cotton  as  above 

This  rotation  is  the  more  common  and  is  used  to  supply  nitrogen 
to  the  cereal  crops.    In  addition  to  this,  berseem  is  often  sown  in  stand- 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER  27 

ing  cotton  or  maize  in  the  fall  as  a  catch  crop  to  be  pastured  lightly 
and  then  plowed  under  early.  Better  yields  result  when  cotton  and 
maize  stalks  are  removed  and  the  land  plowed  and  well  prepared  before 
the  berseem  is  sown.  This  rotation  furnishes  the  cotton  with  nitrogen. 
A  difference  from  10  to  20  bushels  per  acre  in  favor  of  berseem  is 
noted  in  the  maize  crop  when  wheat  or  berseem  precede  it.  Cotton 
in  Egypt  does  not  respond  well  to  chemical  fertilizers. 

Comparison  with  Alfalfa. — Naturally  any  leguminous  forage  plant 
coming  into  use  as  a  feed  for  dairy  and  other  stock  will  be  compared 
with  alfalfa.  Berseem  and  alfalfa  resemble  each  other  in  drought  and 
alkali  tolerance,  repeated  croppings  from  the  same  plants  under  irri- 
gation, high  production  of  palatable  and  nutritious  feed,  both  green 
and  cured,  and  high  value  as  green  manure  in  crop  rotations. 

Points  of  dissimilarity  like  growth  period  and  persistence  place 
them  in  separate  fields  of  usefulness.  Alfalfa,  a  perennial,  requires 
from  one  to  two  seasons  to  become  thoroughly  established  at  maximum 
production,  while  berseem  an  annual,  produces  its  crops  mainly 
through  the  winter  and  spring  of  a  single  crop  year.  It  can  be  plowed 
under  at  any  time  during  the  period  of  its  growth  and  quickly  incor- 
porated into  the  soil  to  the  immediate  advantage  of  the  crops  which 
follow  in  rotation.  Alfalfa  fosters  insect  pests  of  cotton  and  other 
crops  in  summer.  The  culture  of  alfalfa  is  forbidden  by  law  in  Egypt 
(Prescott20)  because  it  harbors  the  cutworm  (Agrotis  ypsilon)  and 
draws  heavily  upon  summer  water  which  is  scarce.  Alfalfa  occupies 
the  land  over  too  long  a  period  to  the  exclusion  of  cash  crops  like 
cotton  and  truck  crops,  which  give  greater  returns  to  the  acre.  Berseem 
on  the  contrary  makes  possible  double  cropping  with  crops  like  cotton 
and  lettuce,  without  the  three  or  four-year  wait,  when  alfalfa  is  used 
in  the  rotation. 

Alfalfa  in  rotation  with  truck  and  cotton  crops  in  the  Imperial 
Valley  occurs  in  the  following  order.  Old  alfalfa  (three  or  more 
years)  becomes  thin,  foul  with  weeds,  and  drowned  out  in  spots  or 
irrigates  poorly  because  of  deposits  of  silt.  The  alfalfa  land  is  rented 
to  a  truck  grower  usually  for  three  years.  Cantaloupes  may  first 
occupy  the  land  and  be  followed  by  fall  planted  lettuce  or  either  crop 
may  occupy  the  land  for  two  or  three  years.  The  soil  rapidly  loses  its 
productivity  for  these  truck  crops  and  the  final  crop  may  be  cotton  or 
grain  sorghum  which  leaves  the  land  in  a  very  poor  condition  when 
the  renter  returns  it  to  the  owner  at  the  end  of  his  lease.  The  owner 
must  now  proceed  to  relevel  and  recheck  the  land.  This  practice 
usually  loses  him  one  year  before  he  can  again  reseed  it  to  alfalfa. 


28  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

After  another  three  or  four  year  period  he  will  again  be  ready  to 
lease  for  cash.  The  alfalfa  returns  are  usually  far  less  than  those 
for  truck  or  cotton  crops. 

Berseem  in  Relation  to  Cotton  and  Sorghum. — On  the  softer  silty 
soils,  especially  in  that  part  of  the  Imperial  Valley  lying  in  Mexico, 
cotton  is  a  great  cash  crop.  Cotton  land  is  mainly  farmed  by  renters 
who  continue  to  grow  cotton  year  after  year  for  several  years.  Fre- 
quently the  old  but  living  cotton  stalks  are  cut  off  and  a  sucker  crop 
grown  from  the  old  roots.    The  result  is  a  steady  deterioration  in  yield. 

We  might  follow  the  successful  practice  of  rotation  in  Egypt  and 
sow  berseem  in  the  standing  cotton  or  sorghum  in  October  with  irriga- 
tion. These  crops  in  very  dry  regions  are  not  injuriously  affected  by 
late  irrigations.  The  injurious  after  effect  of  sorghums  will  be  reduced 
by  the  following  crop  of  berseem.  In  Egypt  the  early  sown  berseem 
crop  is  ready  for  pasturing  in  January,  and  until  it  is  ready  to  be 
plowed  under  previous  to  the  seeding  of  cotton  in  March.  If  the 
berseem  is  to  be  pastured,  the  Misgawi  variety  is  preferred  because  it 
pastures  well  and  comes  up  repeatedly  from  the  root  crown.  When 
the  whole  berseem  crop  is  plowed  under,  the  Fahl  and  Saidi  varieties 
may  be  preferred  because  these  varieties  produce  a  larger  first  crop 
than  Misgawi.  Mackenzie  (Foaden,8  p.  48)  has  shown  that  consider- 
able nitrogen  is  added  to  the  soil  during  the  early  growth  of  berseem 
but  little  or  none  by  the  late  growth: 

Nitrogen  in  soil  before  sowing  berseem  0.099  0.101 

Nitrogen  in  soil  after  the  first  cutting  0.110  0.116 

Nitrogen  in  soil  after  the  second  cutting  0.113  0.111 

Nitrogen  in  soil  after  the  third  cutting  0.105  

Nitrogen  in  soil  after  the  fourth    cutting    0.099  

After  two  cuttings  of  berseem  approximately  300  pounds  of  nitrogen 
to  the  acre  have  been  added.  Sixty  or  seventy  pounds  to  the  acre  of 
this  organic  nitrogen  is  considered  sufficient  for  a  good  crop.  Berseem 
roots  and  straw  rapidly  become  converted  into  organic  matter  when 
cultivated  into  the  soil.  Alfalfa  roots,  on  the  contrary,  persist  and 
many  plants  renew  their  growth  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  farmer 
when  truck  crops  are  grown. 

Inoculation. — The  root  system  of  berseem  is  shallow  but  carries  with 
it  large  quantities  of  nodules.  At  Bard  and  Meloland  in  Imperial 
County  where  berseem  was  first  grown,  no  nodules  appeared  in  the 
roots  the  first  year  (see  fig.  11).  The  plants  were  yellowish  green  in 
appearance  and  not  very  thrifty.  Without  inoculation  of  any  kind 
an  abundance  of  nodules  appeared  in  the  same  land  the  second  year. 


Bull.  389] 


BERSEEM  OR  EGYPTIAN  CLOVER 


29 


Seed  from  the  first  crop  produced  at  Meloland  when  sown  in  other 
parts  of  the  valley  where  berseem  had  not  previously  been  grown,  gave 
rise  to  plants  abundantly  supplied  with  nodules.  A  dark  green  color 
accompanied  the  nodule  bearing  plants,  contrasting  favorably  with  the 
yellowish  color  of  the  berseem  plants  without  nodules.  It  appears 
that  the  strain  of  nodule  forming  bacteria  necessary  for  inoculating 
berseem  is  common  in  the  Imperial  Valley. 


Fig.  11. — Berseem  seed  crop.  Bard,  Imperial  County,  California.  (No 
nodules  were  found  in  this  crop,  but  abundant  nodules  appeared  in  the  next 
year's  crop.) 


Seeding  Berseem  in  Alfalfa. — Experiments  with  seeding  berseem 
in  old  alfalfa  to  secure  a  better  production  of  pasturage  in  winter 
were  not  very  successful  because  of  the  compact  condition  of  the  soil. 
Berseem  must  have  a  deep,  loose,  well  tilled  seed  bed.  The  Misgawi 
variety  is  best  for  sowing  into  alfalfa  because  it  pastures  well. 

Seeding  Berseem  in  Barley.- — deeding  berseem  into  barley  fields, 
especially  where  barley  is  to  be  pastured  in  the  early  stages,  promises 
better  success  if  the  barley  is  not  sown  too  thickly.  Berseem  should 
be  sown  early  and  after  pasturing  may  be  allowed  to  mature  and 
produce  seed  with  the  barley.  The  barley  may  then  be  recleaned  and 
the  berseem  seed  recovered.  For  seeding  with  barley  or  other  cereals 
the  Fahl  or  Saidi  varieties  are  best  because  they  normally  produce 
only  one  cutting. 


30  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Berseem  and  Weeds 

When  berseem  is  sown  early  on  soft  soil  ordinary  weeds  are  con- 
trolled by  its  dense  growth,  but  when  grown  on  hard  soils  or  when 
the  stand  is  thin,  weeds  may  continue.  Mallow  (Malva)  and  Lamb's- 
quarters  (Chenopodium  sp.)  have  persisted  in  berseem  fields  in  the 
Imperial  Valley. 

Melilotus  (M.  indie  a)  has  become  established  in  the  Imperial 
Valley  and  is  persistent  in  fields  of  berseem  on  heavy  or  hard  soils. 
Mixed  seed  of  both  clover  and  berseem  are  almost  impossible  to 
separate.  Contaminated  berseem  fields  should  not  be  harvested  for 
seed. 

Dodder  (Cuscuta).  attacks  berseem  in  Egypt,  but  has  not  as  yet 
appeared  on  berseem  in  California. 

Pests 

No  berseem  fungous  pests  are  known.  Insect  pests,  however,  are 
numerous  and  many  species  highly  injurious  to  other  crops  are 
attracted  to  berseem  where  they  multiply  enormously.  As  these  insects 
increase  during  the  summer,  irrigation  of  berseem  in  Egypt  is  stopped 
by  law  by  the  end  of  April. 

Nematodes  attack  truck  crops  in  the  Imperial  Valley  and  many 
legume  crops  as  well.  For  this  reason  many  excellent  green  manure 
crops  like  mung  beans,  cowpeas,  vetches,  sesbania  and  pea  crops  are 
objectionable  because  nematodes  are  carried  over  in  abundance  to 
the  succeeding  truck  crops.  Berseem  has  shown  nematode  attack 
(Malloch14)  in  the  Imperial  Valley,  but  like  alfalfa  it  carries  nematodes 
(Bessey2)  in  limited  numbers. 

Weevils  which  attack  berseem  severely  in  Egypt  have  not  yet 
appeared  in  the  Imperial  Valley.  The  Chalcis  fly,  found  attacking 
alfalfa  seed  in  this  region  has  not  attacked  berseem. 


BULL.  389]  BERSEEM    OR   EGYPTIAN    CLOVER  31 


SUMMARY 

Berseem  from  the  results  of  the  preliminary  trials  gives  much 
promise  for  forage  and  green  manure  as  a  new  crop  for  the  Imperial 
Valley.  It  is  an  annual  leguminous  plant  which  may  be  cut  several 
times  in  one  season.  Future  investigations  with  cold-tolerant  and  dry- 
land varieties  may  extend  the  area  in  which  berseem  may  be  grown 
to  other  sections  of  the  state. 

The  variety  Misgawi,  now  grown,  is  best  adapted  to  regions  of  mild 
winters  where  irrigation  is  practiced. 

The  plant  is  alkali  tolerant  to  a  considerable  degree. 

As  green  fodder  or  as  hay  it  has  been  found  more  palatable  and 
nutritious  than  alfalfa. 

The  stems  are  succulent  and  the  roots  are  covered  with  numerous 
nitrogen-bearing  nodules.  This  makes  it  an  ideal  plant  to  turn  under 
as  green  manure. 

It  may  be  found  valuable  in  a  rotation  with  such  crops  as  sorghum, 
cotton,  lettuce  and  cantaloupes. 

The  crop  is  easily  seeded,  grown  and  harvested. 

It  has  an  ameliorating  effect  upon  the  soil  and  increases  the  yields 
of  other  succeeding  crops. 

Seed  of  good  quality  can  be  produced  in  the  Imperial  Valley. 


LITERATURE  CITED 

i  Aaronsohn,  A. 

1910.  Agricultural  and  botanical  explorations  in  Palestine.     U.  S.  Dept. 

Agr.,  Bur.  PI.  Ind.  Bull.  180:28. 

2Bessey,  Earnest  A. 

1911.  Boot-knot  and  its  control.     U.   S.   Dept.   Agr.,  Bur.  PI.   Ind.  Bull. 

217:1-89,  pis.  1-3. 

3  BOISSIER,    E.   E. 

1872.     Flora  orientalis.     2:127. 

4  Brunning,  Leslie  H. 

1922.     Fodder  crops  for  Australia.     85-94. 
s  DeCandolle,  A. 

1886.     Origin  of  cultivated  plants,     p.  107,  American  edition, 
e  De  Cillis,  E. 

1911.     Una    nuova    foragera    per    i    paesi    caldi.      Bev.    Agr.    21:45-72. 
(Extract  Int.  Ins.  Agr.  3:570.) 
7  Fairchild,  David  G. 

1902.     Berseem:     The  great  forage  and  soiling  crop  of  the  Nile  Valley, 
Egypt.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  PI.  Ind.  Bull.  23:1-20,  pis.  1-14. 


32  UNIVERSITY    OP    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT   STATION 

8  Foaden,  George  P. 

1904.     Egyptian  Agriculture.    U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  PI.  Ind.  Bull.  62:1-61, 
pis.  1-6,  figs.  1-12. 

9  GlBELLT,  G.,  AND  BELLI,  S. 

1889.     Eivista   critica  e   descrittiva   delle  specie   de   Trifolium  Italiane. 
Mem.  Eeale  Accad.  Sci.  Torino.  II  39:148. 
io  Holmes,  J.  Garnett,  et  al. 

1903.     Soil  survey  of  the  Imperial  Area,  California.     (Extending  survey 
of  1901).     Field  operations,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Soils,  1219- 
1248. 
ii  Kearney,  Thomas  H.,  and  Means,  Thomas  H. 

1902.  Crops  used   in   the  reclamation   of  alkali  lands   in   Egypt.      U.   S. 

Dept.  Agr.  Yearbook,  pp.  573-588,  pis.  1-4,  fig.  1. 

12  Kennedy,  P.  B. 

1913.     Studies  in  Trifolium— VII.    Muhlenbergia. .  9:1-29,  pis.  1-4. 

13  KOCHER,  II.  E.,  ET  AL. 

1923.     Soil    survey   of   the   Brawley    Area,    California.     Advance    sheets. 
Field  operations,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Soils,  1920,  pp.  661-700. 

14  Malloch,  W.  S. 

1923.     The  problem  of  breeding  nematode  resistant  plants.     Phytopath- 
ology, 13:443. 
is  Means,  Thomas  H. 

1903.  Eeclamation  of  alkali  lands  in  Egypt  as  adopted  to  similar  work 

in  the  United  Sttaes.    U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Soils,  Bull.  21:1-48, 
pis.  1-8,  figs.  1-6. 

16  MUSCHLER,   E. 

1912.     A  manual  flora  of  Egypt.     1:497. 

17  Piper,  C.  V. 

1924.     Forage  plants  and  their  culture.     (Eevised  edition)  p.  461. 
is  Piper,  C.  V. 

1907.     Leguminous  crops  for  green  manuring.     U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Farmers' 
Bull.  278:27. 
is  Piper,  C.  V.,  and  Pieters,  A.  J. 

1922.     Green  manuring.     IT.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Farmers'  Bull.  1250:1-42. 

20  Prescott,  J.  A. 

1922.     Societe   Sultanienne   d 'Agriculture,   Cairo,   Egypt.      (Letter   dated 
Dec.  17.) 

21  SORNAY,  P.  DE 

1916.     Green  manures  and  green  manuring  in  the  tropics,     p.  289. 

22  Strahorn,  A.  T.,  et  al. 

1922.     Soil  survey  of  the  El   Centro  Area,   California.     Advance  sheets. 
Field  operations,  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  Bur.  Soils,  1918,  pp.  18-47. 

23  Willcocks,  Sir  W.,  and  Craig,  J.  I. 

1918.     Egyptian  irrigation.     Third  ed.,  pp.  1-884,  pis.  1-8,  figs.  1-188. 


20m-6,'25 


